BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — What we learned as the Indiana Hoosiers made their loudest statement yet regarding their intent to contend for the 2013 NCAA championship, hanging on for a too-close 88-81 victory over No. 8 Minnesota in a Big Ten Conference game before 17,472 Saturday at Assembly Hall.

It’s all about Yogi

Someone mentioned the other day that the reason for Indiana's dramatic defensive improvement — from No. 66 in defensive efficiency in 2011-12, as measured by KenPom.com, to No. 9 this season — is the work of Victor Oladipo on the wings.

Now, Oladipo is probably the best perimeter defender in Division I. (His wicked sideways block on Gophers guard Andre Hollins with 8:34 left in the first half was one of those had-to-see-it kind of plays). And that probably wasn't true a year ago. But he was very good then.

The greatest difference in Indiana's defense is having freshman point guard Yogi Ferrell to defend against the basketball.

It is widely considered that IU senior guard Jordan Hulls is a weak defender. That image was reinforced when Butler walk-on Alex Barlow drove Hulls into the lane on the final possession of their overtime game in December and hit the game-winning shot for the Bulldogs.

It's not wholly accurate, though. Where Hulls struggles is in defending the ball and containing penetration. With Ferrell around, he almost never has to. Ferrell did a sensational job pressuring the ball against Minnesota's gifted Andre Hollins. Ferrell forced Hollins into some challenging shots, which he was good enough to make, but never let the Gophers enter comfortably into their offense.

For his part, Hulls allowed Gophers guard Joe Coleman only three first-half shots. Coleman was coming off a 29-point game in Minnesota's impressive victory Wednesday at Illinois.

Indeed, the Hoosiers (15-1, 3-0) played a great deal of zone, so all of that was not to Hulls' credit, but it's not as though his area was flooded and overwhelmed. He did his job, including a beautiful steal he plucked directly from Austin Hollins' hands near the 7-minute mark of the first half. That was turned into a 3-pointer by Hoosiers forward Christian Watford for a 31-17 lead.

This was a lot to ask

Sometimes in college basketball you beat yourself. Sometimes the other side's just too good. And sometimes the schedule just smacks you in the teeth.

Minnesota (15-2, 3-1) had at least two of those three elements at work when its visited IU. Riding a nine-game winning streak as the week began, the Gophers were sent on the road for consecutive games at No. 12 Illinois and No. 5 Indiana.

There are only about a half-dozen teams in America that would not look at a split of those two games as a terrific achievement. It's true Minnesota began the day hoping or believing it was one of those teams, but it's no disgrace if that's not the case.

The Gophers throttled Illinois in their mid-week trip to Champaign. They were physically superior in the frontcourt and outplayed the Illini along the perimeter, as well, which wasn't really expected. So, while it may be true that the NCAA frowns on intercollegiate athletes engaging in gambling, Minnesota was playing with house money as it arrived in Bloomington.

That it wound up breaking should not threaten the Gophers' season. It's their job to ensure it does not.

IU has size to spare

One of Indiana's problems early in the season was a lack of effective interior reserves. Freshman Hanner Mosquera-Perea was suspended the first nine games and senior Derek Elston was injured, which meant just about any time Zeller or Watford had to leave the game the Hoosiers became a small team. Not just smaller, but small. They often played 6-6 wing Will Sheehey at power forward.

That has its uses, but it's nice to have size as an option. Even with Elston resting again to protect his knee, Perea's arrival has provided that.

During Indiana's game-changing surge late in the first half, Zeller not only didn't contribute to the onslaught, but he was on the bench for much of it. It's hard to recall Perea even touching the basketball on offense — he did get an offensive rebound late in the game and earn a couple free throws, one of which he made — but he provided the requisite big-man presence while the Hoosiers executed their offense to perfection. At the defensive end, he stood his ground and the Gophers got essentially nothing done inside.

From 7:39 of the first half until 3:14 remained, IU went on a 14-4 tear that included four 3-pointers (Oladipo, Hulls, Watford, Watford) and extended their lead to 40-21. Minnesota never ceased fighting, which was to its credit, but the Gophers were broken by that sequence. When they look at the tape and remember that Zeller wasn't even a part, they will not be encouraged.

Minnesota has spirit

It would have been so easy for the Gophers to begin planning the rest of their weekend at halftime. They were behind by 23 points, and the Hoosiers were playing so brilliantly it did not seem as though they would do anything to help their opponents recover.

Facing that huge deficit, coach Tubby Smith ordered his team into an all-out full-court press. The Hoosiers did not crumble against it, but they did wear down a bit and commit a few extra turnovers.

Minnesota was able to come as close at 77-68 on a high-post jumper by center Trevor Mbakwe, followed by two free throws from guard Austin Hollins when Oladipo fouled him on a long-distance jumper.

Minnesota is gaining a reputation for closing strong. It outscored Michigan State 12-3 in the final five minutes of the teams' Big Ten opener, and then buried Illinois in the final 10 minutes of what had been a 51-47 game, winning 84-67.

The final two minutes were not Indiana's finest. The Hoosiers were forced into three turnovers, usually perfect free-throw shooter Hulls missed three from the line and Oladipo again fouled a 3-point shooter. When there were 19.5 seconds on the clock, IU's apparently insurmountable lead had closed to a single 3-pointer.

Hulls got another chance when he rebounded his own miss, and then made a pair of free throws to clinch it.